OUR Volunteers

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" I'm the web designer of Take Trips MES. I want to help Take Trips MES because I think the organization's purpose is really meaningful. I've heard stories about the lives of youth of color released from the incarceration and detention system, there are heartbreaking stories, and there are inspiring ones. I want to contribute my own energy to the mission of trying to ensure that more stories have a positive and inspiring new chapter. I work to create an engaging website that can help spread the mission and goals of Take Trips MES. "

"I graduated from Eckerd College in May 2020 and I am excited to delve into the nonprofit world. Through my studies in Women's and Gender Studies, I was provided opportunities to question and analyze institutional structures and systems of power. I  was shocked to realize how little I knew about the prison industry. I recognize that as a white person, I was formed around assumptions about prisons being necessary structures for the good of society.  As I continue to learn more, I am beginning to see incarceration systems more clearly - as places of gendered and racialized oppression and unnecessary trauma. I feel lucky to have found Take Trips MES and I am inspired by their mission to reduce youth recidivism and heal people from cycles of trauma. I help Take Trips MES by producing and editing written content, including blogs and grant proposals" 

"My name is Iyana and I am a recent graduate from Rutgers University with My Masters in Social Work. I work as a Grant Writer for Take Trips MES. MY job is to identify available funding, draft, and submit grant proposals. I chose to volunteer for Take Trips MES because I support their mission and I want to assist the organization acquiring the necessary resources to fulfill its purpose."

" I am studying Management and Leadership with a concentration in Human Resource Management at Bradley University. I will graduate in 2021 spring. I am learning that successful organizations require people who are willing to try experimental tactics to distinguish their business from others in the industry. I am excited to apply what I am learning to aid Take Trips MES. I work as the Human Resources Manager at Take Trips MES. My role includes tracking company hours across all levels of the organization, as well as financial information for invoices, spending, banking, and payroll. I help with the financial aspects of Take Trips MES to ensure that our primary mission is achieved - to break down barriers for incarcerated individuals so they may successfully reintegrate into society. I am inspired by Take Trips MES because I want to encourage others to become their best selves and to celebrate their strengths and victories. "

"My name is Wendy and I work as the Social Media Specialist for Take Trips MES. My job is to help post content for people to see what this organization is for. I chose to volunteer here to help spread awareness of modern problems that the world is facing."

"I am currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a minor in marketing. I believe it is always essential to help people, whether the man on the street needs a dollar or youths looking for a second chance. There is a reason for each of us to be here on this earth, and I think mine is helping others. When I read TTMES’s mission statement, I knew this was the right place for me. Many of the youths that become incarnated deal with many issues from economic to emotional. TTMES wants to provide comprehensive care that they did not have the first time to help them succeed the second time. TTMES’s mission aligns with my purpose of helping others, which is why I choose to volunteer."

 "My name is Dinah and I am the Web Designer for Take Trips MES. I want to help spread awareness to Take Trips MES's mission and contribute my part into organizing a website that engages others to help with its causes.  I've been looking for an opportunity to help those around me and to make a change. I believe that my time at Take Trips MES will help spread awareness and help others." 

 "I volunteer with Take Trips because I am helping a cause that is deeper than me. I've seen my cousin in and out of prison, I was too young to really know what was going on but when we would visit him I would get sad when we had to leave because he wasn’t coming home with me. I also love supporting my community because the world we live in isn’t. The youth need support and I'm glad to be apart of that. 

 "My name is Rose and I am the researcher for Take Trips MES. Having worked with many youth non-profits over the years I'm excited to now be working with Take Trips MES and assisting other volunteers with the research needed to help them build foundations so Take Trips can grow bigger and stronger and maximize their reach in the community and with youth." 

 "My name is Aria and I handle the Twitter at Take Trips MES. My job is to create content for the Twitter and post it to help educate people on incarcerated youth of color. I volunteered for TTMES because I want to help make a change in the world and educate others on this topic. My goal is to help spread awareness about this topic that people are not as informed about through posting on social media platforms!"